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Posts: 43
Location: Central IA | I was just wondering how long you worked for muskies before you boated your first fish. I have fished for muskies with my son on a couple of Minnesota trips prior to this year and had no luck. He has been fishing for them for years and his best year caught 36.
He moved closer this past year so we bought a boat together, I went to the Minneapolis Muskie show and I plunked down a grand on a couple heavy duty outfits and a bunch of lures. We have fished every weekend except the one when he got married and I haven't had but one strike. I was throwing a double cowgirl and saw the fish coming and got buck fever and tried to set the hook before he really had the bait.
When we go out for bass/ walleye/ panfish I can hold my own with him but muskies are kicking my butt. I'd actually be happy with some follows but nothing yet.
Don't get me wrong, each fishing trip is a blast and I have a great time with my son but the most excitement I have had is netting his 49.5 a couple weeks ago on Mille Lacs.
I know I've got to pay my dues but #*^@!
Let me know what to expect. |
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Posts: 1360
Location: Lake "y" cause lake"x" got over fished | Three months for me. My first was a 45" then I was stuck at 45" for three years before I upped it to 47" two years ago. Could not tell you how many "total" hours until the first. But I caught it late August of my first season. I ended up catching 4 that season. I followed it up by three awesome seasons where I boated a good amount of fish.... But that isn't always the case
If it makes you feel any better I am on one of the worst musky droughts of my musky fishing career. I have lost 22 straight over the last two seasons. This one and last year. That is hooked and lost. Some my fault, some "well thats musky fishing for ya" moments. There are seriously times where I just want to throw all of my gear into the lake and call it quits. But, that is just not the type of person I am, so I can't and wont do that. Just keep casting and I gaurantee your time will come. I am hoping that my drought will end soon. But if I'm not casting it wont. Tell yourself on every cast that this cast is the one. Imagine a musky follow on every cast (even if there isn't one) do a perfect figure 8 and repeat. Your time will come. Just stay positive.
I have a buddy who has been fishing musky for three years now. Has had a ton of follows, a few strikes and has lost one. Still none boated though. Everyone is different. Just don't give up
Edited by FAT-SKI 8/31/2014 5:56 PM
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Posts: 218
| Third cast...I should have quit then... |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | 4.92 hours  |
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Posts: 275
| Many many years for me! Then I hooked a 25" monster for my first boated fish......LOL.
Jaimy |
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Posts: 358
| Less than 12 hours and was the very first cast of the 4th day. I thought I was hung up then the line started going up river. 43 in. Partner didn't even get his lure on  |
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| I was so young, I don't really recall how long it took. I was around 5 or 6, so it probably seemed forever even if it was only a few minutes:-) |
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Posts: 791
Location: WI | I have been musky fishin for 17 years and am having the worst year of my life. Only a half dozen after work trips and lost three fish including one monster at the boat. My buddy fished for two years before he finally got one. Other guys get fish right away. Just keep at it. Know that it's not going to come easy and perfect our technique. Meaning, good figure 8 every cast, sharp hooks, and keep your bait in the water. Then when it happens you will be ready.
Edited by Trophyseeker50 8/31/2014 7:27 PM
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Posts: 1220
| Me and a friend took a whim and hired a musky guide just to try it (1976) and it took less than a half hour to catch my first, 42.5, Pickerel Lake near Minocqua |
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Posts: 558
| Stay postive in what you are doing, keep plugging away and the musky gods are watching and will reward you one day. It will feel ohh soo good. Stick to it. The first full year my buddy had 8 musky's in the boat before i had 1, then the musky gods put the power to catch on my side. All of this with me in the front of the boat on the pedal guiding away. The season ended my buddy 9 and me 10. I just stayed positive and great things happened. Your time will come. |
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Posts: 399
Location: WI | Check your PM |
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Posts: 3868
| A buddy took me musky! fishing! one fall night so long ago we were listening to Johnny Carson coming out over the water from the houses. I caught 3 fish and my host caught 2. Wow! I can still recall each fish and the bait I was using. I decided then to be a musky guy. 3 years of working on muskies later I caught a fish or two. 5 years after those 3 years I was boating them on a regular basis. Now its 20 years and my the time has gone by. If I did all over again I would have started with learning how to troll metal spoons. |
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Posts: 21
| I started as a young teenager with my dad. Had several trips without a fish. Than one weekend of bass fishing at a buddies cabin and I put two in the net. Actually felt kinda sad it did not happen with my old man in the boot, thankfully I have had the chance to boat many fish togethore over the years. Took my uncle several years, but finally did so on our last Canada trip. Nothing beats being a part of someone's first ski. |
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Posts: 252
| When I started musky fishing, I wanted to know how many hours of actual casting that it took me to catch the first one, so I timed it. It took 42 hours of casting for my first one and it was a 48.75 incher. I caught my second one 7 frustrating months later. |
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Posts: 2753
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | 1995- 5-day NW Ontario flyin lake - 2nd day 38" on a #14 green chrome Husky Jerk - 3rd day 50" - 4th day saw a really monster fish fishing for smallies, she broke my heart. Nothing's been the same since........
Have fun!
Al |
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Posts: 192
| 2 hours |
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Posts: 192
Location: Quebec, Canada | 200... I started to fish for muskies by myself... no guide, no buddies, just self learned this different type fishing. It took me 200 hours... that's probably close to the 10,000 casts. All of that for a 33" fish, I was a bit disappointed but still happy to finally get one. Then I could start focussing on what had worked on that catch.
That same year I got a 34" and lost a very huge fish. The next year, I caught a 45" within the first hour of musjg fishing and this year I got my first 50&+ fish.
It's hard when you start, hou have to enjoy yourself being on the water more than anything...and if you pay attention to what worked before and repeat, the learning curve will go faster.
Edited by Drakl 9/1/2014 9:47 AM
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Posts: 256
| Two years and it paid off with a 51.5 for my first fish. |
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Posts: 109
| 1.5 years goin around 1 day a week. Had lots of follows jut couldn't get em to eat. |
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Posts: 12
Location: SE WI | I finally got my first one in the bag this year! It took about three and a half years from me first going out one day with an older guy from work. Hundreds of hours and thousands (ugh) of dollars later I put my first one in the boat. I always seemed to have a ton of "close calls" between follows and lost fish, but that's how my bowhunting career seemed to go for me too.
In the meantime I brought out multiple non musky guys and got them hooked on the sport as well, with one of my friends catching two within the first few months of trying it and another catching his first musky on his second trip out. Another one of my friends fishes hard but he seems to be on the same "hard luck" train I was on.
Getting the first one was so satisfying though, and it turned out I got it with a very good friend and one of my "musky mentors" from the start. Wasn't a monster, but I was and am very proud of that fish. |
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Posts: 369
| My first one ways this year I've been trying for 6 years, it took 2 with my very good friend who is a retired guide who would take me out everytime I went to the houses we have. But it was worth it all in the end after all of the hard work.
-Zachary |
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Posts: 574
Location: Elk Grove Village, IL & Phillips, WI | First time out in the mid-1970s when I was a teenager. Was hooked for life! |
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How long before you caught your first Musky?